The New Age
by xTritonx
Summary: Post-Inheritance. Eragon begins his new life as the leader of the Dragon Riders. He meets new friends, foes, challenges, and a sinister new evil that finds its way into both his new home and Alagaësia. Eragon/Arya
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Well, this is my first try at fanfiction. Hopefully you guys will like it. This first chapter is just a short preview of what is to come. The first few chapters may be a bit uneventful, but I promise there will be plenty of action over the course of the story. Reviews are always appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Inheritance Cycle. They are the property of Christopher Paolini.**

A crack of thunder off in the distance jerked Eragon out of his deep sleep. He rolled over and attempted to slip back into his waking dreams, but the raging storm prevented any kind of slumber on this particular evening. Muttering a curse to himself, he sat up and reached out to Saphira with his mind. He found his dragon to be fast asleep under the cover of the canopy of the forest that was nearby his tent. With a sigh, he decided it would be best not to wake her, and instead he found himself reflecting on all that had happened over the last week.

After leaving Arya, Fírnen, and Roran behind, the elven boat _Talíta _had sailed east along the Edda River for 2 days before finding that it opened out into a vast lake. After talking it over with Blödgharm, Eragon had decided that it would be best if the group set up camp along the shoreline before sailing off further into the unknown. Eragon and the elves set up tents and began searching for food that they could stockpile, for they had no idea how long they would be out on the open water. While they searched for nuts, berries, and the likes, Saphira went off hunting to find food of her own.

Life in the camp carried on in this fashion for a few more days before Eragon and Blödgharm decided that the group's supplies would suffice for at least a week, and that they would set sail at dawn. Eragon retreated into his tent, and fell into a deep sleep, only to be awakened by the clap of thunder.

Eragon was both excited and nervous about the voyage out into the lake. Having no knowledge of the vast body of water certainly troubled him.

_If this storm keeps up, we'll have to delay our journey,_ he thought. A particularly large clap of thunder sounded and a few moments later Saphira contacted Eragon.

_Something troubling you, little one?_ she asked.

_I'm feeling a bit uneasy about tomorrow. Who knows what we will find out there?_ Eragon replied. The thought had been growing on him for his entire stay on the shoreline.

_Anything that we find will not be able to stand up to the power of a dragon and her rider,_ Saphira declared proudly. _Plus, we have the Eldunarí and the elves with us._

While Eragon knew that she was right, he still could not help feeling a little worried. He had encountered many fearsome people and creatures during his time in Alagaësia. _Who is to say that what lies in the east is not twice as dangerous?_ he thought to himself.

_Now is not the time for worrying Eragon. We will face whatever is out there tomorrow. But for now, we must rest. We have a long day ahead of us._

Grunting in agreement, Eragon let a wave of calmness sweep over him and he drifted into his sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed. I really appreciate it! Updates can be expected about every other day or every 3 days or so.  
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As the sun rose above the horizon, Blödgharm entered Eragon's tent. The storm outside had subsided, so the sailing would proceed as planned.

"Shadeslayer, the boat is ready for departure. When you are ready, we will set sail," the elven spellcaster said.

Eragon rose from his bed and thanked Blödgharm, who then exited the tent. Eragon strapped Brisingr to his belt, packed his things and then headed outside.

He saw Saphira lumber towards him. As she approached him, he greeted her with a pat on the leg.

_Are you ready?_ he asked her.

_Yes, little one. It is time to begin the next chapter of our lives._ Saphira roared in excitement, and then took off into the sky.

As soon as the elves had packed up all of the tents and supplies, Eragon boarded the _Talíta _and the boat set sail for lands unknown.

The journey was uneventful for the most part. At one point, Eragon saw a fish, roughly the size of a human, jump out of the water. However, as soon as he saw it, it disappeared back into the depths of the lake.

After they had been sailing for roughly 4 hours, one of the elves cried out, "Land ahead! We have reached the end of the lake!"

As Eragon looked out onto the land before him, he saw a large stone building with walls about 30 feet tall extending to either side as far as the eye could see.

While _Talíta _approached the building, Eragon called out to Saphira.

_Saphira! Can you see what resides behind the walls?_

_ I see nothing but a desert that stretches on for miles. These walls must mark the easternmost border of Alagaësia_, Saphira replied.

A quick thud caught Eragon's attention, and he realized the boat had reached the shore. He hopped off the white ship and landed on a beach of soft white sand that stretched forward for about twenty feet. As the elves joined him on the sand, he started forward towards the building.

A soft hand grabbed Eragon's shoulder, and he wheeled about to see that one of the elves, Yaela, had a look of concern on her face.

"This is edge of Alagaësia, Shadeslayer. We elves know not what is inside this building, so we advise you to proceed with care," she said, as a few of the elves behind her nodded in agreement.

Eragon nodded and then, with his hand on the pommel of Brisingr, walked up to the large wooden door of the building and opened it.

He and the elves entered the building and found themselves in a large hallway, wide and tall enough to accommodate Saphira. The hallway went on for about 200 feet. There were many doors on each wall, and a large door similar to the entrance was at the other end of the hallway. Eragon told Saphira that she would have room to enter, and then called out, asking if anybody was there.

A door on the right wall opened, and a tall human stepped into the hallway. He had shoulder-length black hair, and had scars on his forehead and cheeks. He was dressed in armor, and looked intimidating. He grimaced, as if unhappy to see Eragon and the elves.

"Who are you," the man asked, pulling his sword free of its scabbard, "and what are you doing here?"

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**A mini cliffhanger for you guys...I hope you don't die from anticipation! All joking aside, please review, I would really appreciate it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I really value all of the feedback I've been getting. Now, onto the story. This chapter is longer than the others, and the plot is really going to take off from here. Sorry if the characters seem a little OOC, it's not really my strong suit. Enjoy!**

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Eragon looked at the man, suddenly feeling very uneasy. He raised his hands away from his weapon, to show that he had no intention of causing a conflict and said, "I am Eragon Shadeslayer, the leader of the Dragon Riders. My companions and I are leaving Alagaësia." Seeing that the man loosened up a bit, he continued, "If you don't mind my asking, what is this place?"

"Well met, Shadeslayer. I am Tujeyd, and I help guard the border of Alagaësia, which is where you are now," the man answered, losing the hard look on his face, "Beyond these walls lie wild, dangerous lands."

"I see," said Eragon. Beside him, Blödgharm stepped forward.

"Are we allowed to pass through here?" the elf asked.

"Of course," Tujeyd responded, "but I have been instructed to warn any travelers that pass through that beyond those doors, the land is dangerous and unforgiving. It is inadvisable for all but the most powerful warriors and magicians to continue beyond the border."

Eragon smiled, and said, "Well, I suppose it is a good thing I am a Dragon Rider, and my companions are the most prolific spellcasters in Alagaësia."

Tujeyd nodded and let out a chuckle, and said, "I suppose you are right. Now, Shadeslayer, if you don't mind _my_ asking, why are you leaving Alagaësia?"

_Answer wisely, Eragon. We do not want our plan to become general knowledge,_ Saphira advised.

Eragon gave her a mental nod and then said, "We are setting out to discover new lands, in hopes of adding to the vast amount of information available to scholars throughout Alagaësia." Eragon thought he heard Saphira chuckle to herself.

"Interesting," Tujeyd muttered. He began walking towards the door where he had entered the hallway from, and motioned for Eragon and the elves to follow.

_Looks like you will have to wait in the hallway, _Eragon said to Saphira, who snorted with disdain.

As Eragon and the elves entered the room, Tujeyd turned around and said, "I don't suppose that you wish to make the journey through the desert on foot. We have stables here, but you would probably need to have two riders per horse, as we do not have very many mounts."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Eragon said, "but I doubt that we would be able to return the horses in a timely manner."

"No worries," Tujeyd replied merrily, "just promise me that you will eventually bring them back. The timeliness does not matter, because very rarely do people visit this place in need of horses."

Eragon swore in the Ancient Language that the horses would be returned, and then Tujeyd brought the group into the stables.

The elves split up into five pairs, and each pair mounted a horse. Tujeyd then led them to the exit at the end of the long hallway.

"There is one more thing that you all ought to have," Tujeyd said, and handed everyone a pouch of water. He explained that each pouch had been magically altered so that when it ran out of water, it would refill instantly.

"Tujeyd, I cannot thank you enough for the horses and water. I wish I had some way to repay you, but the best I can do is to give you my eternal gratitude," Eragon said.

"And that is all that I require, Eragon Shadeslayer. I would do anything to help the man who brought freedom to our land. Now, off with you! Go out and discover uncharted lands with the knowledge that all of Alagaësia is in your debt!" And with that, Tujeyd threw open the doors, and with a final farewell, Eragon, Saphira, and the elves began their journey through the desert in search of a new home.

_Tujeyd certainly was friendly,_ Eragon said to Saphira as he climbed into her saddle.

_What do you expect? We are heroes in Alagaësia. However, where we are going, we have no legacy. We should expect no such treatment in this new land,_ Saphira replied.

Eragon braced himself as Saphira took off into the sky, and the horses below began to trot through the desert. The leader of the Riders raised his eyes, and looked off into the land that he would now call home. Although he could see nothing but sand, he knew that he would find a suitable place to start the new age of Riders…

After a few hours of riding above the endless sand, Saphira's mind reached out to Eragon's.

_Eragon! Look ahead of us!_ she said, her voice full of excitement.

Eragon, who had been resting his head on Saphira's neck, peered out ahead of him to see that a large city surrounded by tall, black walls was quickly approaching. A jolt of excitement ran through his body as he gazed upon the magnificent city.

Suddenly, a familiar voice popped into Eragon's head. He jumped with surprise, as he had almost forgotten that it was there.

_I would recommend that you circle back and inform the elves of this discovery_, Glaedr said in a commanding tone.

_Of course, Ebrithil,_ Eragon replied, and then grabbed the spike on the back of Saphira's neck as the blue dragon swerved around and began flying towards the elves, who were a few miles behind.

Saphira landed with a crash in front of the elves as their horses sputtered to a stop. Eragon hopped off of his dragon's back and quickly filled the elves in on what he and Saphira had seen.

"I think it would be best if we set up camp for the night, and then went into the city tomorrow, where we can begin to search for information on this land and try to find a suitable home. The sun is about to set, and it would be futile to attempt to find someone willing to answer our questions when the people will all be sleeping," Blödgharm said as he stepped off his horse and took a drink of water out of his pouch.

_I agree, it would be wise to set up camp now while we still have enough light to do so. It has been a long day, and we all need to get some rest_, Saphira added, and with that the group set up camp and got some well deserved sleep.

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**Please let me know what you think!**


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